SENOIR PHASE

LEARNING RESOURCES

Kidnapped

Resources written by Scottish Book Trust

Contents2 About the book2 About the author3 How to use these resources3 Basic understanding4 Robert Louis Stevenson’s life and work4 Character Study: Alan Breck5 Character Study: David Balfour6 The theme of loyalty6 Activity 17 Activity 27 Activity 37 Activity 47 Highland and Lowland life8 Quotes relating to friendship and loyalty9 Quotes relating to Alan Breck10 Quotes relating to David Balfour11 Appendix 1

About the bookKidnapped tells the story of David Balfour, a young, protestant man of theLowlands, who travels to Edinburgh in search of his inheritance. He travelsto the house of Shaws, inhabited by his miser uncle, Ebenezer Balfour.His uncle is not a particularly favourable character and conspires to haveDavid kidnapped and brought as a slave to the Carolinas. Whilst heldcaptive aboard the ship, David has a fortunate encounter with Alan BreckStewart, a Jacobite rebel. The two strike up an instant and loyalfriendship.

When David is accused of conspiring to murder a member of theCampbell clan, he is saved by Alan, and the two set out on a journey toescape the clutches of the law and ultimately secure David’s inheritance.

About the authorRobert Louise Stevenson was born in Edinburgh in 1850. His father was alighthouse engineer, and Stevenson almost followed in his father’sfootsteps by studying engineering, but at twenty one he decided to be awriter. He began with travel writing, but in 1882 Treasure Island wasserialised, and Kidnapped followed four years later.

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Stevenson suffered from health problems all his life, the exact natures ofwhich have been subject to debate. He was advised by doctors to moveto warmer climates, and moved to the American west before venturingeven further west, into the Pacific. He eventually settled with his family inSamoa and was to remain there the rest of his life. He died in 1894, still atthe height of his literary powers, leaving behind two unfinished novels.

How to use these resourcesFirst of all, the important thing to say about these activities is that theydon’t have to be done in the order they appear here, nor do you need todo them all! Pick and choose, and modify as you see fit.

In this resource, you’ll find activities to look at the characters DavidBalfour and Alan Breck, and activities to explore the themes of friendshipand loyalty.

Basic understandingLearning objective:

l to learn where the different events of the novel take place

Location and travel is a big part of this text. Ask your learners to create astory synopsis map. They should point out all the places mentioned in thelowlands and highlands and match these with key moments of the text.

The scope of learning covered by this task can be extended – you couldalso ask pupils to include a quote which defines each key moment. Youcould provide them with some quotes to choose from. There are a numberof quotes at the back of this resource which may help.

You can make your map look old and worn by following these tips:www.youtube.com/watch?v=rXcCE7aj_qc

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Robert Louis Stevenson’s life and workLearning objective:

l Find out how Robert Louis Stevenson’s life influenced themes in hiswork

Encourage your students to briefly study Robert Louis Stevenson’s life anddiscuss whether any of his life experiences may have contributed tothemes in the book. The websites below should help:

National Library of Scotland: http://digital.nls.uk/rlstevenson/childs.html

Robert Louis Stevenson website: www.robert-louis-stevenson.org/life

Short poem by RLS:www.lnstar.com/mall/literature/rls/LandofCounterpane.htm

To consolidate the ideas from pupils’ discussions, ask them to pick outevents and interests in Robert Louis Stevenson’s life that may correspondto themes in the text, and take a note of them in the table in Appendix 1 atthe end of this document.

Character Study: Alan BreckLearning objectives:

l Become familiar with Breck’s characteristicsl Become familiar with the Jacobite movement.

Alan Breck is a Jacobite and believes that the Stuart name should berestored to the throne. He is an impulsive, romantic and rebellioushighlander. Fiercely loyal to his clan, religion, friends and his politicalconvictions, he aids his clan in Appin by bringing their old chief money andrecruiting soldiers for the King of France. He is skilled swordsman, is welleducated and loveable rouge. He is not without fault however, asomewhat flawed hero – he brags, boasts and gambles all of David’smoney away. His main role is to serve as a guide to the young, innocentand somewhat naive, David Belfour. He compliments David’s innocence,pragmatic and rational psyche by offering intrigue, adventure, rebellionand feistiness; he is based on a real historical figure

l Ask pupils to briefly study the real life character of Ailean BreacStiùbhart. Match/discuss any notable similarities, or if there are anyliterary fabrications or inaccuracies:www.battleofprestonpans1745.org/heritagetrust/documents/alanbreck.pdf or http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Allan_Stewart_(Jacobite)

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You can use this video for brief summaries on Jacobite history:www.youtube.com/watch?v=SJ8c8d61sG0

A comprehensive study pack on Jacobean times: www.historic-scotland.gov.uk/investigating-jacobite-risings.pdf

l Anti-Jacobean propaganda depicted clans as savage, brutal oruneducated and daft-like. (see: http://www.abdn.ac.uk/library/documents/SLA_PDF/SatiricalPrints.pdf) Ask pupils to find evidence inthe text of how Alan Breck breaks these stereotypes. They can thencreate a ‘pro-Jacobean’ depiction of Alan Breck and his highlandfriends.

l Create a wanted poster for Alan Breck. This should include adescription, characteristics, flaws and eye witness accounts of whathe has said and done. (Include quotes if appropriate)

Character Study: David BalfourDavid Balfour is the pragmatic and noble hero of the novel. A Lowlanderand a protestant Whig, he is an excellent counterpart to Alan – theimpulsive and romantic Jacobite. They have some similar traits. They bothhave strong principles and personal morals that they adhere to. Davidrefuses to play cards with Cluny and Alan because he believes it is morallywrong and because, as he claims he ‘‘made promise to my father.”David’s scruples make him admirable. It is, however, evident that Davidyearns for excitement and adventure. When he first arrives in Edinburgh he is eager to see the ships and sea, an indication that he has a desire fortravel and adventure;

...Perhaps, in the bottom of my heart, I wished a nearer view of thesea and ships. You are to remember I had lived all my life in the inlandhills, and just two days before had my first sight of the firth lying like ablue floor, and the sailed ships moving on the face of it, no bigger thantoys.* (p.18)

Throughout the text, there are many testimony’s on David’s character,nobleness and gentlemanly nature. Cluny, who does not like David’sdecline of the offer to play cards, cannot help but recognise that his is‘’too nice and covenanting, but for all that [he] has the spirit of a verypretty gentleman.” David also expresses a fair and just sentiment towardsothers, always seeing the good in them, claiming that “No class of man isaltogether bad, but each has its own faults and virtues.’’ David’s journeythroughout the text is a rite of passage. By exposing himself to difficult‘worldly’ experiences, David can over-throw his uncle and claim hisinheritance.

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* LouiseStevenson,

Robert,Kidnapped,

CreateSpaceIndependent

PublishingPlatform, 2013

It is indicated that David’s friend, the Minister Campbell, searches for himwhen he is kidnapped. Ask your students to create a missing personposter for David. This should include personal attributes and testimonies(quotes) on his character.

The theme of loyaltyLearning objective:

l To develop understanding of the friendship between Alan Breck andDavid Balfour and the theme of loyalty.

Loyalty is the central theme of the text. The most loyal and dedicatedrelationship in the text is that between David and Alan. Even when theirfriendship is tested and David could freely and safely walk away fromAlan, he chooses not to.

Alan is loyal to his religion, clan and to his king. David is loyal to his ownscruples, his father’s honour and even to King George. Both charactersare in search of their inheritance. David desires his birth right, and Alandesires his land to be ruled by a Stuart King. They are an unusual pairingbut their differences allow two facets of Scottish politics, identity andreligion of that time, to be expressed.

Activity 1In any place where there is division, friendship can be dangerous.Examples include friendship between Jews and Germans during WWII (asdepicted in The Boy in the Striped Pyjamas by John Boyne) and Rangersand Celtic supporters (Theresa Breslin’s novel Divided City deals with this).Sally Gardner’s book Maggot Moon is another good illustration of this in asci-fi world.

David refuses to abandon Alan even when it is dangerous for him to staywith him. Discuss with your pupils why friendship is important and whypeople are loyal to their friends. Ask them to come up with a list of reasonswhy David might have made this decision.

After this, ask pupils to imagine that they are David, and that they havedecided to leave Alan. Ask them to make notes about how David mightfeel about this, and why he might have made this choice. Ask them towrite a journal entry where David describes these thoughts and feelings.

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Activity 2Ask your students to imagine they are Alan Breck. Ask them to write aletter to Bonnie Prince Charlie outlining the adventure that has happenedand explaining that he has found an unlikely friendship with a Whig. Thisshould include quotes on their friendship.

Activity 3Ask your students to imagine they are David Balfour and ask them to writea letter to Minister Campbell outlining the adventure that has happenedand explaining that he has found an unlikely friendship with a Jacobite.This should include quotes on their friendship.

Activity 4Ask pupils to create a slideshow with music and text as a response to thequestion, “What does friendship mean to me?” Ask them to draw on theirreflections on the text, but also incorporating their own views andexperiences. This can be a hugely powerful activity which facilitates deeplearning: there is a wonderful example from Perth Academy here:www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ly2vp2tLH8s

Highland and Lowland lifeRLS was interested in the difference between Highland and Lowland life.Some critics say that he depicts Highlanders as passionate but oftenfoolhardy, while Lowlanders are depicted as cautious and rational.However, this has often been dismissed as on overly simplistic view. Youcould ask pupils to discuss Alan and David, finding moments which eithersupport the view or contradict it.

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Quotes relating to friendship and loyaltySo it was, at least. Other folk keep a secret among two or three nearfriends, and somehow it leaks out; but among these clansmen, it is told toa whole countryside, and they will keep it for a century.

He came up to me with open arms. “Come to my arms!” he cried, andembraced and kissed me hard upon both cheeks. “David,” said he, “I loveyou like a brother. And O, man,” he cried in a kind of ecstasy, “am I no abonny fighter?”

We made good company for each other. Alan, indeed, expressed himselfmost lovingly; and taking a knife from the table, cut me off one of the silverbuttons from his coat.

“I am Alan's friend, and if I can be helpful to friends of his, I will notstumble at the risk.”

“I will put my hand in the fire for Mr. Balfour,” says Alan. “He is an honestand a mettle gentleman, and I would have ye bear in mind who says it. Ibear a king's name...”

“It was all daffing; it's all nonsense. Of course you'll have your moneyback again, and the double of it, if ye'll make so free with me. It would bea singular thing for me to keep it. It's not to be supposed that I would beany hindrance to gentlemen in your situation; that would be a singularthing!” cries he, and began to pull gold out of his pocket with a mighty redface.

But for me to turn to the friend who certainly loved me, and say to him:“You are in great danger, I am in but little; your friendship is a burden; go,take your risks and bear your hardships alone——” no, that wasimpossible; and even to think of it privily to myself, made my cheeks toburn.

“I will only say this to ye, David,” said Alan, very quietly, “that I have longbeen owing ye my life, and now I owe ye money. Ye should try to makethat burden light for me.”

“I never yet failed a friend, and it's not likely I'll begin with you. There arethings between us that I can never forget, even if you can.”

“'Deed, and I don't know” said Alan. “For just precisely what I thought Iliked about ye, was that ye never quarrelled:—and now I like ye better!”(p.106)

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Quotes relating to Alan Breck[…]he had luck and much agility and unusual strength, that he shouldhave thus saved himself from such a pass. And yet, when the captainbrought him into the round-house, and I set eyes on him for the first time,he looked as cool as I did. (p.31)

He was smallish in stature, but well set and as nimble as a goat; his facewas of a good open expression, but sunburnt very dark, and heavilyfreckled and pitted with the small-pox; his eyes were unusually light andhad a kind of dancing madness in them, that was both engaging andalarming; and when he took off his great-coat, he laid a pair of fine silver-mounted pistols on the table, and I saw that he was belted with a greatsword. His manners, besides, were elegant, and he pledged the captainhandsomely. Altogether I thought of him, at the first sight, that here was aman I would rather call my friend than my enemy.

...then taking off his coat, began to visit his suit and brush away thestains, with such care and labour as I supposed to have been only usualwith women. To be sure, he had no other; and, besides (as he said), itbelonged to a king and so behoved to be royally looked after.

“Robin Oig,” he said, when it was done, “ye are a great piper. I am not fitto blow in the same kingdom with ye. Body of me! ye have mair music inyour sporran than I have in my head! And though it still sticks in my mindthat I could maybe show ye another of it with the cold steel, I warn yebeforehand—it'll no be fair! It would go against my heart to haggle a manthat can blow the pipes as you can!”

Neither one of us looked the other in the face, nor so long as he was in myview did I take one back glance at the friend I was leaving. But as I wenton my way to the city, I felt so lost and lonesome, that I could have foundit in my heart to sit down by the dyke, and cry and weep like any baby.

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Quotes relating to David Balfour“No class of man is altogether bad, but each has its own faults andvirtues’’(p.26)

“Betwixt and between,” said I, not to annoy him; for indeed I was as gooda Whig as Mr. Campbell could make me.

Mr. Balfour,” said he, “I think you are too nice and covenanting, but for allthat you have the spirit of a very pretty gentleman.”

The thought of a separation ran always the stronger in my mind; and themore I approved of it, the more ashamed I grew of my approval. It wouldbe a fine, handsome, generous thing, indeed, for Alan to turn round andsay to me: “Go, I am in the most danger, and my company only increasesyours.” But for me to turn to the friend who certainly loved me, and say tohim: “You are in great danger, I am in but little; your friendship is a burden;go, take your risks and bear your hardships alone——” no, that wasimpossible; and even to think of it privily to myself, made my cheeks toburn.

“Deed, and I don't know” said Alan. “For just precisely what I thought Iliked about ye, was that ye never quarrelled:—and now I like ye better!”

“You took me for a country Johnnie Raw, with no more mother-wit orcourage than a porridge-stick. I took you for a good man, or no worsethan others at the least. It seems we were both wrong. What cause youhave to fear me, to cheat me, and to attempt my life...”

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Appendix 1

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* Meaning, was he a Jacobite? Each side, in these sort of arguments, took the name ofhonesty for its own.

Robert Louis Stevenson’slife

Kidnapped themes Evidence from the text

He read stories aboutScottish history andReligion

Scottish politics, historyand religion

"So,” said the gentleman inthe fine coat, "are ye of thehonest party?"*

"Why, sir," replied thecaptain, "I am a true-blueProtestant, and I thank Godfor it...But, for all that," sayshe, "I can be sorry to seeanother man with his backto the wall."